Patriot Act Extension Fails in the House by Seven Votes

The U.S. House of Representatives has failed to pass a short-term extension of certain provisions of the Patriot Act Tuesday.

Republicans fell seven votes short of a fast-track extension of three provisions that are set to expire at the end of February. According to the Washington Post, the provisions include one that “authorizes the FBI to use roving wiretaps on surveillance targets; the second allows the government to access ‘any tangible items,’ such as library records, in the course of surveillance; and the third allows for the surveillance of targets who are not connected to an identified terrorist group.”